Recent developments in vacuum arc deposition

Vacuum arc deposition (VAD) has become an established industrial art for producing hard, wear-resistant and decorative coatings. Sophisticated coatings, including tertiary compounds and multilayers, are increasingly used. Filtered VAD and hot electrode vacuum arcs are increasingly investigated to obtain high-quality, macroparticle-free films. Improved filtered sources, including large rectangular filters, have been demonstrated. Besides tool coatings, films for metallizing integrated circuits and protecting magnetic media are being developed.